001Hi, I'm Susie Griffith, proud principal of Newfield's Elementary School. Thank you for taking the time to watch this short video in which you'll hear some of the wonderful things that are happening in our school. You'll hear about the driving forces in the budget and we'll also share with you how, when, and where to vote. Our elementary school is strong because our students feel safe and supported and excited to learn every day with our dedicated teachers who are so caring and kind and passionate about what they're doing. Our involved families who we couldn't be the school community that we are without them. To a caring community at large. We work together to help every child grow academically and personally. Our unified arts at NES are really special. We get to try we get to try new
002things and be creative and we learn stuff that helps us that helps us outside of school too. In STEM, Mrs. Walsh um helps us learn by using real objects from northeastern university. We get to do hands-on activities that make engineering and science really fun. Every month we have assemblies where students get to be the hosts, share their talents and recommend books and practice speaking in front of people. Families come too. One very special assembly is Veterans Day. Veterans from our community come to our school and Mr. Hobie Harmon talks to us about being a veteran and why school is important. At the end, we all shook hands with the veterans and thank them for their service. It made us feel proud and show that an NES learning and being kind both matter a lot. In
003the library, Mrs. Liberin helps us love reading. We have a new library and she even brings real offers to us from a local bookstore. We get to hear their stories and learn how books are made. In PE, Mrs. Sha helps us move every day and teaches us how exercise connects to real life. She brings in Karate International and we get to learn new skills and practice self-control. We also work with Northeast Passage where we learn about athletes with disabilities and how everyone can play sports in different ways. We even get to go on a field trip to Camp Lincoln, which is really very fun and helps us try new activities. One of our favorite things is when we get to do the pickle ball tournament where we play with an adult to try to win
004the pickle draw. Our school looks amazing because of art class with Miss Baswell. We learn about artists like Picasso, Freda Kalo, and Jojo Keith. We also make artwork that stays at our school, like the snapshock mural outside. >> I am the dad of two happy and thriving NES students. And the reason why they're happy and thriving is because of NES's teachers and leadership and culture. The culture is one of responsibility, accountability, caring, nurturing, and continuous improvement. and any funds that we give as a town to NES will be used in the same manner. >> There are two collective bargaining agreements at Newfields Elementary School. Teachers have an active collective bargaining agreement known as the CBA. So they stepped or tracked per that CBA. This is a negotiation year for the pair professionals. So their increase
005will be reflected in warrant article 2. All non-union employees were put at a 3% increase. Health and dental rates increased per the quote from our provider, Hell Trust. There's an increase in just over $4,000 to our professional development line because ongoing highquality professional development for our teachers strengthens classroom instruction. When teachers continuously build their skills and use evidence-based practices, they are better able to meet diverse student needs. This proactive investment reduces the need for later interventions by addressing early challenges early, leading to more effective instruction, better student outcomes, and more efficient use of resources over time. The SAU assessment is divided between the districts based on enrollment and the town's equalized valuation over the SAU budget was a 0% increase. However, that changed between districts based on how enrollment and valuations changed in relation to
006each other. We have a multi-year contract with First Student, our bus company, that outlines the cost increases. The total of $3,934 has been added across several budget lines to more accurately reflect actual expenses. The substitute line has been increased to a,000 as expenditures over the past 3 years have consistently exceeded the previous allocation. This adjustment aligns with the budget with demonstrated need. Similarly, $500 has been added to the general teaching supply line to reflect consistent usage. Trash removal costs have also increased by $1,000 due to high higher ongoing expenses. And together, all these adjustments ensure that the budget more accurately represents operational realities. It is also important to note that of the total 141,500 budget change, only 8,000 represents new increases, while there is a $36,500 decrease in facilities costs. The remainder of this budget
007is completely contractual in nature. This increase is a small targeted investment within an otherwise largely fixed budget. >> Please join the New Fields community at the public hearing on Wednesday, January 14th at 6 p.m. and the deliberative session on Thursday, February 5th at 6:00 p.m. Both are in the multi-purpose room. Hope to see you there.